August 27, 2007

Would you find yourself strongly identified as a follower of Christ according to your calendar? Or would your calendar make you look like a resident of this earth?

Would you find that your calendar dates and your daily schedule matched the goals that have been placed in you by your Creator?

If God came down (visualize Morgan Freeman!) and flipped through your desk calendar or clicked through your MS Outlook would He find sufficient evidence that you have sought after Him, followed Jesus' example of taking care of the needy, and followed Jesus' call to the great commission?

You say your calendar is packed and you cannot add another event?

 IF we find ourselves without time to do things for and with people (not just the fun stuff) then we have bought into a system of thinking that produces living counter to God's plan for us.

 IF we have 5-6 nights each week open to watch television we are not properly using our talents (to help others, to earn more income to help others, etc.).

 IF our month is full of events that are all about us and ours and 'the least of these' are not in our plans then we are misusing the time God has given us.

 IF we find ourselves continuously complaining about not having enough time to do what we want to do and to do what we know is right to do then we must repent (re-think) to God for squandering the hours He has given us and ask Him to restore order back into our days, weeks, and months.

As we approach September make sure to PURPOSEFULLY set aside time for changing the world for God's sake.

Let us look again at our calendars and see if we are planning to succeed in fulfilling the purposes God has for us or if we are planning to fail at utilizing our time to bring glory to His name.

August 23, 2007

Authentic Christianity may look like responding in Jesus' ways instead of Republican or Democrat ways. It may mean taking all theology and doctrine and boiling it down to how we treat our neighbor.

It may mean, but I certainly hope not (too hard!) that I am to love regardless of another's character, morals, or political viewpoint.

It may mean spending less time thinking right religious thoughts and considering how to help the poor. Spending less time learning what we already know and putting action to what we know.

It probably means we quit trying to look good in front of others and quit lying to God in our prayers. It may mean we stop lying and confess how little we really do love not just our enemies but just about everyone.

It may mean promoting humility and grace and kindness over large financial contributions, it may mean we learn to proclaim the gospel of Jesus by ourselves instead of a highly paid professional religious figure (which I am a part of that paid clergy).

It means hurting when my neighbor hurts, dancing when they dance, and crying when a child I will never know gets AIDS or dies of hunger or thirst.

It means giving a damn which we don't because as good believers we would not dare cuss.

It means using a couple of choice 4-letter words instead of cursing our children, our neighbors, and just about everyone with phrases like "they'll never amount to much", "I cannot stand that loser", "what a fag!" and "What an idiot" which all seem to flow out of our mouths pretty regularly (often directed to 'the least of these'--the most hurting and unprotected in our society).

It may mean that I drop my preferred religious preference and build a church that someone who knows nothing of religion could connect with Christ--dropping my specialized language that keeps the lost at bay and connecting with them in a tongue that is common to them.

It may mean dealing honestly with the questions of hurt, hate, anger, racism, hunger, violence, etc. that my religion cannot answer and simply offer others relationship with the One Who Knows and Who Is.

It may mean growing up in all areas and repenting where we are prideful and therefore spiritually weakest (but religiously strongest).

It may mean shutting my mouth about what I believe so that I can hear the heart cry of the one who is lost and help him find his way to the Father instead of giving him answers to questions he is not even asking (like giving a tie to a man without pants).

It may mean allowing God to change our thoughts and emotions and not just erecting some superficial marks of our spirituality.
Authentic Christianity means freedom--not freedom to pursue flesh but rather freedom to grow in character, to live fruitful lives, to be full of peace, joy, and free to love all—even the unlovable, the ugly, and those who hate me (my enemies).

Authentic Christianity means modeling God today even as Jesus did when He was on earth.

I wish I could just follow a list of rules, have all the keys to successful living handed to me, and ignore all those who disagree with me. But, God won't let me. He asks me to live life searching for a reality with Him instead of being satisfied with a religion that speaks of Him. Sometimes I hate that I have this feeling that authentic Christianity is important because it is much more difficult at times then just fitting into the current Christian culture that identifies 'Christians' as those who go to church while at the same time refrain from doing certain bad things (or at least pretending in front of church goers that they don't do them).

All in all it has been a satisfying journey with ups and downs, as well as delays, detours, and breakdowns.

But, the scenery has been beautiful and the traveling companion awesome.